An everyday tale of family and political life with a dollop of Formula One and various random thoughts on the side.

Monday, February 07, 2011

My first duty as a Godmother - my letter to my MP

I wrote the other week about how I'd become a Godmother - not to a cute wee baby, but to a UN Agency promoting women's rights and gender equality.

I've done my first godmotherly duty - adding to my MP Graeme Morrice's inbox. He's been good at replying to me so far - very positively on Gamu Nhengu's charity single for the Aberlour Trust and thoroughly, even if I didn't agree, on AV. Here's the letter I've sent him today asking him to support the Godmothers' aims to see UN Women properly funded. I think that our Government should lead the way on that.

Here's the letter I've written to him. Please can I encourage you to write to your MP, too to raise awareness of this important issue.

Dear Graeme

As your constituent I’m asking you to help end the discrimination that keeps millions of women in poverty.

UN Women, the new agency for gender equality and women’s empowerment, presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help disadvantaged women around the world. But at the moment it doesn’t have the political and financial support it needs to begin operations.

VSO is campaigning to ensure that UN Women doesn’t fail before it’s even begun. We’re asking for strong international leadership from the UK to help the agency get off the ground – if the UK supports UN Women others will follow.

Please support VSO’s campaign by signing Early Day Motion 1318, calling for the UK Government to support UN Women.

EDM 1318: That this House recognises that around the world women continue to suffer discrimination and injustice simply because of their gender; notes that underlying inequality between men and women is the driving force that results in 70 per cent of the world's poor being female; recognises that empowering women will drive progress towards all the Millennium Development Goals; welcomes the launch of UN Women, the UN Agency for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, on 1 January 2011; recognises that the agency is an example of UN reform to improve efficiency and co-ordination; and calls on the Government to provide support to the new agency to ensure it has the resources required to end the discrimination that keeps millions of women in poverty.

You can find more information about VSO’s Godmothers campaign on their website, http://www.thegodmothers.org.uk.